West Chester earns ticket to NCAA D2 championships; Rams will play at Rollins (FL) on Friday

West Chester University learned it will go to Lakeland, Fla., to play Rollins College at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament next weekend.

West Chester (17-2) ends the longest drought in school history in qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. It is the Golden Rams’ 11th appearance in the tournament overall. They have won two national titles (2002, 2008) and been to the finals nine times. West Chester is a combined 14-8 in its previous 10 trips to nationals and has never been eliminated from the tournament before reaching the semifinals.

The 2016 season is the first with an expanded bracket. For the first time, six teams from each region (North, South) qualify with the top two seeds in each region receiving a first-round bye and host two other schools.

The Golden Rams face Rollins College in their first round matchup on Friday, May 13 at 5 p.m. The winner advances to play host Florida Southern on Saturday, May 14 at 5 p.m. West Chester is 3-1 all-time against Rollins, including 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament. These two schools squared off in Louisville, Ky., in 2012 in the national semifinals. The Golden Rams have never played Florida Southern.

Florida Southern was the top seed in the South Region with Lindenwood (Mo.) receiving the second seed and hosting rights, along with Florida Southern. Mercyhurst will play Queen’s (N.C.) in the other first-round matchup in the South. That game will take place in St. Charles, Mo., with the winner advancing to play Lindenwood on Saturday.

Two-time defending national champion, Adelphi, is the No. 1 seed in the North Region. They are 19-0 on the season. Le Moyne is the second seed. Dowling will play Grand Valley State at Adelphi in one first-round matchup while LIU-Post will take on New Haven in the other first-round match at Le Moyne.